Re: I'm Kinda Dense: Alternators Again

Posted by Doug in OR on March 10, 2005 at 08:19:31 from (159.121.94.198):

In Reply to: Re: I'm Kinda Dense: Alternators Again posted by Allan in NE on March 10, 2005 at 06:31:43:

Hi Allen - more electronics 310 :)

The flash that Bob refers to is the initial exciter current that starts the alternator charging. The charging voltage is higher than the initial voltage from your battery, so the current from your ignition switch will be overridden by the higher voltage from the alternator voltage at this point in the initial cycle. Look at the schematic - do you see that line that goes from one of the charging phases (after the diode) to the tie point on the right side of the regulator? This is where that voltage will be introduced. From this point on, the regulator circuit will determine how much current is allowed to flow through the exciter - thus regulating the output voltage. If your alternator does not start producing its own voltage, the exciter will continue to draw current from your battery. After all, if an idiot light were in that circuit, it would be lit while the alternator is not charging. This lit lamp means that current is being drawn. We are talking about at least .1 amps (100 ma). If you have a 40 AH battery, it means that your battery will in theory be dead in 400 hours. Remember, without a lamp in there - a short circuit - you will draw even more current.

I still maintain that you have a one-wire alternator, through a mistake or some other reason. A three-wire would run your battery dead if you left the exciter circuit energized.

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